Seattle Dive Bar Among First to Ban Google Glass, A Losing Battle Begins

And so it begins. Months before the average joe can even purchase a pair of $1,500 Google Glass specs, the 5 Point Cafe in Seattle--a self-proclaimed diner, dive bar, vegetarian/vegan establishment--has stated in no uncertain terms that it will not allow people to enter while wearing the specs.

In a post on its Facebook page, 5 Point Cafe also indicated that “ass kickings will be encouraged for violators”. Sounds like a charming place.

Image credit: StopTheCyborgs.org

Fox News pulled a quote from an interview Dave Meinert, the place’s owner, gave to radio station KIRO-FM wherein he proclaimed himself a “thought leader” and went on to say, "First you have to understand the culture of the 5 Point, which is a sometimes seedy, maybe notorious place. People want to go there and be not known...and definitely don't want to be secretly filmed or videotaped and immediately put on the Internet.” Yes, charming indeed.

Meinert has a valid point that there’s something creepy about people wearing glasses that can record everything the wearer sees--including you, what you’re doing, and where--and as a private business owner, he can (probably?) enforce his no-Google Glass rule legally. But he’s fighting a losing battle here.

For one thing, the second he says that he doesn’t want his patrons to be secretly filmed, everyone who walks into the place will now be making a point to surreptitiously film everything and everyone with their phones, because trolling IRL is fun. For another, Google Glass is coming, period; further, there’s no doubt that it won’t be the only such technology that emerges in the near future, and once a given technology takes hold, it’s nearly impossible to hold it back.

Is the 5 Point Cafe’s protestations anything more than a simple attention grab as opposed to an ideological statement on privacy? Probably not. Is this the last time a business will ban Google Glass? Not by a longshot.